Plaid Cymru secures best budget deal in Assembly history

Gains secured by Plaid Cymru in “biggest one year budget deal in the history of the National Assembly”

Posted
on October 18 2016, 8:59 AM

Everyone in Wales will benefit from Plaid Cymru’s £119 million budget deal with the Welsh Government Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Economy Adam Price has said.

Outlining the biggest one year deal in the history of the National Assembly, Adam Price said that Plaid Cymru has delivered significant investment in the health service, in local government, in education, the economy and arts.

He said that this demonstrated Plaid Cymru’s commitment to delivering tangible benefits for the people of Wales at every available opportunity.

“From the outset of this Assembly, Plaid Cymru has been determined to deliver tangible benefits for the people of Wales. Less than six months after the election and we are already the most effective opposition party the National Assembly has ever seen – we have managed to secure progress on some of our key priorities in the £160 million Compact to Move Wales Forward, and today we announcing this £119 million package that will deliver benefits for everyone in Wales.

“The budget deal that Plaid Cymru has secured will mean more investment in medical training to get more doctors working in the NHS in all parts of Wales, and it will mean faster diagnosis for people with conditions like suspected cancer because of additional investment in diagnostic equipment. We have secured a £20 million investment in mental health spending which will make talking therapies and other services available, particularly for young people.

“As a result of Plaid Cymru’s budget deal our local councils will no longer face nominal cuts to their budgets. We have secured funding for thousands more good quality all-age apprenticeships all across Wales, and a huge £30m investment in our universities and Further Education institutions. And we have secured investment in infrastructure projects that could lead to building new roads, railways and cycle paths across Wales.

“Furthermore the extra money we have secured for arts funding will mean an increase of at least 3.5% to the budget of the Arts Council of Wales, the National Museum of Wales, the National Library of Wales and the Welsh Books Council. All of these institutions have seen cuts to their budgets in recent years. And we will see a huge £5 million investment in the Welsh language, and in particular the Welsh for Adults programme.

“This budget represents a massive £119 million investment package that will strengthen the NHS, boost the economy, improve educational standards and deliver better public services. Plaid Cymru’s priority has always been to protect the interests of the Wales, and this budget deal will deliver benefits for every single person.”

Click here for the full details of the budget deal between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh government.